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Comments on Puzzle #36306: Fancy Feathered Friend
By Kristen Vognild (kristen)

peek at solution       solve puzzle
  quality:   difficulty:   solvability: moderate lookahead  

Puzzle Description Suppressed:Click below to view spoilers

#1: Web Paint-By-Number Robot (webpbn) on Jan 2, 2023

Found to be solvable with moderate lookahead by infrapinklizzard.
#2: Joe (infrapinklizzard) on Jan 2, 2023 [HINT]
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#3: Lenore Wilkison (fidelio) on Jan 3, 2023
I don't seem to have needed any look-ahead
#4: David Bouldin (dbouldin) on Jan 3, 2023 [HINT]
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#5: Gary Webster (glwebste) on Jan 3, 2023 [HINT]
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#6: Jota (jota) on Jan 3, 2023
EL gets this one done!
#7: Scott (McEncheese) on Jan 3, 2023 [HINT]
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#8: Valerie Mates (valerie) on Jan 3, 2023 [HINT]
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#9: gregg licht (lgreg) on Jan 4, 2023 [SPOILER]
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#10: David Bouldin (dbouldin) on Jan 4, 2023 [HINT]
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#11: Joe (infrapinklizzard) on Jan 4, 2023
Yes, there is a reason that we have coined the word "lookahead". It is separate from "guessing".

Guessing is where you place a pixel without any justification and keep going.

Lookahead is "placing"(without marking) a pixel or set of pixels without justification, and then going ahead in your mind to see if it leads to a contradiction. If it does, then you know that your assumed pixel is incorrect. If it does NOT, then you cannot say anything about that pixel and you must abandon it or you have guessed.

Note that the use of lookahead can only lead to ruling out whatever color you placed in that pixel to start with. It cannot, by definition, prove that the color you guessed is *correct*.

If the number of steps you have to look ahead is only a couple, as in our "advanced" techniques such as edge logic or smile logic, then we label it "moderate lookahead". If it takes much more than that, *but a solution is provided* then we label it "deep lookahead".

If there is no moderate-lookahead solution, and no one has provided a deep-lookahead solution, then it is *according to the procedures of this site* deemed to be "guessing needed".

Note that ALL lookahead is logic-based. Guessing is not lookahead, it is guessing. If you are not 100% sure of the pixel you have marked, you have guessed.
#12: Courtenay Footman (Courtenay) on Jan 5, 2023 [HINT]
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#13: Teresa K (fasstar) on Jan 5, 2023
iT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE i HAVE DONE EL. It took me a minute to remember it. Really fun solve, Kristen.
#14: Valerie Mates (valerie) on Jan 6, 2023
Teresa, I know I said it before, but I am so glad you are back!!
#15: Kristen Vognild (kristen) on Jan 10, 2023 [SPOILER]
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#16: Kristen Vognild (kristen) on Jan 10, 2023 [SPOILER]
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#17: JoDeen Mozena (ozymoe) on Jan 10, 2023 [SPOILER]
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#18: gregg licht (lgreg) on Jan 10, 2023 [SPOILER]
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